Erasmus Experience in Riga, Latvia by Bojan

Why did you choose to go to Riga, Latvia?

I come from Croatia which is considered to be a country with very open people, easy to approach, cheerful, sometimes even loud. Baltic states are more often compared to Scandinavia countries so I wanted to explore a culture much different from ours. Also, I heard and was reading about nature in Latvia which also attracted me.

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How long is the scholarship? How much money do you receive to help you with living costs?

As part of our Erasmus scholarship I was receiving 360 euros per month plus 200 euros for lower social status because my mother is unemployed and I have two younger brothers. Apparently this money seems enough but we didn't have option to live in University dorm because we were Academy students so our living costs (flat) were quite high. Also, caffe bars, night clubs and other places are quite expensive (especially for our standards).

What is the student lifestyle like in Riga?

I was surprised by the amount of foreign students studying in Riga so I really felt like living in 'student city'. There are lot of events like visits to the landscapes near Riga, paintball, football for Erasmus students, student language farm, etc. Because of this reason I think everyone can find something for himself.

Would you recommend the city and the University of Riga to other students?

Unfortunately I was not a student of the University of Riga but of the Latvian Academy of Culture (which is not part of University). But talking about LAC I can say that I would recommend it - we had our own classes, professors were able to speak fluent English (furthermore, two of them were American-English professors).

What is the food like?

To be honest this is the biggest disappointment in Riga. Food is not bad but there are no dishes that are specific for Latvia, nothing I could say is really unique or different. But, if you like Chinese, Japanese or some other 'exotic cuisine' you will love Riga because the city is full of international restaurants.

Did it cost you to find your accommodation in Riga?

Not so much, it is possible to find an accommodation on various internet sites but I would recommend to people not to use agencies because they are too slow on response but to find someone who was there in Riga or some other people who live there. You can find lot of people on Facebook.

How much does it cost to live in Riga?

For our standard apartment prices are quite high (not less than 200 euros per person if you're lucky). In wintertime probably not less then 250.

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Is the language easy to get to grips with? Are there language courses available in the University?

Yes it is. Language is not hard to get to grips with and language courses are available in the University (at the Academy only some foreign languages like Spanish or Italian) but at the University also Latvian, Russian, etc.

What's the easiest or most economical way to travel to Riga from your city?

From Osijek, Croatia, the most economical way (around 90 EUR) is to go with a bus to Budapest then with a plane to Warsaw (very cheap Wizzair flight) and then with a bus to Riga. But, this trip is quite exhausting so if you travel for the first time and with your luggage maybe the best way is to fly from Dubrovnik to Riga with direct flight (around 130 EUR). The only problem is that this flight (as far as I know) is not operating during wintertime.

Where would you recommend to go on a night out in Riga?

Just go to the Old town, you cannot miss anything. If you're not fan of fancy places search for Chomsky bar or Kaņepes Kulturas Centrs.

And for eating? Can you recommend some good restaurants in Riga?

As I wrote before there are lot of foreign restaurants and most of them are quite good.

What good cultural sites are there to visit?

Most of the interesting cultural sites are situated in Old town or near Old town. And for other things it depends on individual interests.

Is there any other advice that you could give to future students who are going to Riga?

Prepare yourself (bring more money with you so that you can travel because location of Latvia is great for travel lovers), if you can choose go in second semester because the weather is much better and Riga is beautiful during spring and summer (also during wintertime there are almost no sun at all and during summertime almost no night at all).